Gophers coach Richard Pitino had to basically win without his starting point guard in the opening round of the NIT, but DeAndre Mathieu bounced back from a hip injury to score 14 points in Sunday’s 63-55 second-round victory over St. Mary’s at Williams Arena.

Mathieu, who scored just five points in a win against High Point last week, had trouble taking care of the ball with five turnovers.

But the 5-foot-9 junior figured out how to play under control and with foul trouble in the second half. He was a major factor in helping the Gophers (22-13) advance to a quarterfinal game Tuesday against Southern Mississippi.

“He was confident in the huddle,” Pitino said. “They were going under his ball screens. He said in a timeout, ‘Give me the ball. I’m confident I’m going to make it’. He’s not a bad shooter. He’s not a great shooter. But when he’s got time, I’m confident he’ll make it.”

Mathieu only played two minutes in the second half of the 88-81 opening-round NIT win last Tuesday after reinjuring his right hip on a fall in the first half.

But fellow starting backcourt mates Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins combined to shoot just 3 for 13 from the field Sunday. So Mathieu asserted himself.

But he said he didn’t feel like he had to carry the offense. Sophomore Joey King had 18 points.

“It never feels that way, because we have so many guys on our team capable of scoring in a variety of ways,” Mathieu said. “I just went with the flow.”

Healthy Smith sits

Pitino didn’t play senior Malik Smith for the first time this season when the guard was healthy.

Senior Maverick Ahanmisi, who had a career-high 21 points against High Point, has taken Smith’s role as the backup shooting guard. He came off the bench to contribute seven points and two steals in 24 minutes against St. Mary’s.

Smith, who had 29 points with eight threes in his first start in a loss at Nebraska on Jan. 26, has been a no-show for second half of the season with just 38 points total in the past 13 games.

“I think it’s obvious,” Pitino said. “Mav is playing well, and he’s giving us a lot.”

Block party

Junior center Elliott Eliason wasn’t an offensive threat, but his career- high tying seven blocks helped to shut down St. Mary’s leading scorer, Brad Waldow.

Waldow, who averages 15.5 points per game, was held to just three on 1-for-7 shooting in 19 minutes.

Eliason, who also finished with eight rebounds, had five blocks in the first half.

The Gaels shot just 38 percent from the field for the game, including 9 for 28 on shots from inside the three-point line.

Briefly

Former Gophers guard Joe Coleman is sitting out as a transfer to St. Mary’s, but he couldn’t travel with the team due to NCAA rules.

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